What are the possibilities and challenges that lie ahead? Will intelligent machines replace or complement human labor—substitute for or amplify/augment human intelligence? Are we on the road to an inevitable robotic dystopia or can we put ourselves on a trajectory to a new approach to learning, accelerated productivity, and new human capabilities and inclusive prosperity? How will the economic surplus or bounty resulting from the productivity gains of intelligent machines be shared among workers and citizens? What are the technologies and the policy decisions that will be needed to establish a positive road forward with an equitable sharing of the benefits?
The Berkeley Work and Intelligent Tools and Systems (WITS) working group explores how we can go about shaping the world we want in the age of intelligent tools. The challenge, deep and real, is to architect that world, to find ways of working, earning, and learning that support the healthy development of our societies and economies, and the humans who inhabit them.
We are an interdisciplinary and international group of researchers from the fields of engineering and data science, economics, sociology, and political science. Through our connections with international institutions and stakeholders, we support ongoing dialogue and guide research, policy, and practice.